Care home support for residents with sight and hearing loss
We have compiled a resource guide to help care homes residents who have sight and hearing loss.
People with sensory loss are more likely to have difficulty with moderate exercise, mental stimulation, maintaining social contact and healthy eating resulting in poor health outcomes.
Small changes can make a big difference
With the right advice and support, such as training in communication and guiding, how to improve accessibility, or using equipment that can help, care homes can support people with sensory loss to live active and healthy lives.
This resource pack has been created in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, RNID, RNIB and ECL Sensory Service.
Key facts*:
- One in six people in the UK have some form of hearing loss.
- One in five people over 75, and one in two over 90, are living with sight loss.
- One in two people living in care homes have some degree of sight loss.
- Approximately 75% of care home residents have hearing problems.
Hard of hearing or Deaf
Practical tools to help you support your residents who are hard of hearing or Deaf.
Hearing aids
Communication
- Communication tactics
- Live Transcribe App (Android) - supports communication when wearing mask or without hearing aid
- Live Transcribe App (iOS) - live Captioning for d/Deaf and hard of hearing in 50+ languages
General advice
- C2Hear website with further short video clips
- Guidance for supporting older people with hearing loss in care settings - RNID website
- Guidance for residential care homes - RNID website
Sight impairment
Practical tools to help you support your residents who have a sight impairment.
Identification
Communication, guiding and mealtimes
- Communicating with a person with sight loss
- Guiding a person with sight loss - for carers
- Supporting people with sight loss at mealtimes
General tips and wheelchair use
Sight loss and dementia
- Tips to help you communicate with a person with sight loss and dementia
- Dementia and sight loss resources - RNIB website
Sight loss and learning disabilities
- Tips to improve an environment for people with sight loss and learning disabilities
- Learning disabilities and sight loss resources - RNIB website
Sight and hearing loss (deafblind)
Practical tools to help you support your residents who have a sight and hearing loss (deafblind).
Assessing and communication
General advice and tips
Contact information about support and services in your area
The following three organisations will be able to connect you to the local services in your area.
RNID Information Line (Royal National Institute for Deaf People)
Contact our Information Line for free, confidential and impartial information on a range of subjects relating to deaf issues, hearing loss and tinnitus.
Chat online: https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/information-line/.
Email: information@rnid.org.uk.
Call: 08088 080 123.
Text message: 07800 000 360.
Relay UK: 18001 then 08088 080 123.
BSL video call: https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/information-line/bsl-information-service/.
RNIB Information Line (Royal National Institute of Blind People)
We're here for you with advice and information to help you face the future with confidence.
Call: 03031 239 999.
Relay UK: 18001 then 03031 239 999.
Email: helpline@rnib.org.uk.
Contact form: https://www.rnib.org.uk/about-rnib/contact-us.
Or say: “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline” to an Alexa-enabled device.
Sense (For everyone living with complex disabilities or who is deafblind)
Sense Information and Advice can help you find the right support for you and your family. In partnership with RNIB, we are here to offer you free and impartial information about living with complex disabilities, including deafblindness.
Call: 03003 309 256.
Relay UK: 18001 then 03003 309 256.
Email/contact form: https://www.sense.org.uk/get-in-touch/contact-information-and-advice/.
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